Ultrasonographic assessment of aortic flow characteristics in a paediatric patient with sepsis treated with extracorporeal life support: defining the mixing zone

Abstract

We describe a case of severe sepsis in a 14-year-old boy who was treated with veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support. The haemodynamic challenges inherent to femoro-femoral VA ECMO are discussed, and the use of ultrasonography to define the location of the mixing zone in the abdominal aorta is demonstrated. We propose that the use of ultrasound is able to assist clinicians in understanding perfusion of abdominal organs in the presence of suspected differential oxygenation.